BERLIN – More than four decades after it began as an outreach program of the Mennonite Church, Diakonia continues to serve the community.
Today, the West Ocean City nonprofit provides transitional housing, food and counseling to those in need. While homelessness on Delmarva might not look the same as it does in major cities, Diakonia’s volunteers say it’s here nonetheless.
“People around here don’t fit that stereotype,” said Claudia Nagle, director of Diakonia. “People have an idea in their mind of who’s homeless. You’d be hard pressed to pick out one of our homeless people.”
At Diakonia, Nagle and her staff are able to offer transitional housing for 40 families.
“All those beds are full,” Nagle said.
She’s forced to turn away hundreds of area residents looking for a place to stay. In April, Diakonia received inquiries from 500 people in need of housing help.
“It’s that time of year when rents increase,” Nagle explained. “That makes it a challenge.”
Diakonia volunteers try to put those they can’t help in touch with other local shelters.
“We try to connect them with other resources,” Nagle said.
Those people Diakonia does take in are required to work to improve their situation during their stay. Diakonia employees work with residents on budgeting and can coordinate people with tutoring and other educational opportunities. Usually, Nagle says it takes around eight months for families to get their finances back on track and find a permanent housing solution.
In addition to providing area residents with shelter, in recent years Diakonia has also started working with local veterans who need help. The organization helps ensure they can find adequate housing and provides them with information on how to receive federal benefits.
Nagle says Diakonia’s various programs are made possible through grants as well as contributions from local municipalities. In recent years, the nonprofit’s thrift shop has also generated a substantial amount of money. The shop, called Used to be Mine, sells gently used clothes, furniture and household goods. It opened in 2009.
“It offers a wide range of products,” said Diakonia’s Tom Schulz. “Prices are very reasonable.”
The shop is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. While donations are always welcome, Nagle encourages people to drop them off during business hours, as that’s when staff and volunteers are on hand to help sort and price them.
“It’s a lot of work,” she said.
The shop does, however, raise a substantial amount of money for the nonprofit. Last year it generated $70,000.
“It’s what makes our ends meet,” Nagle said.
Because the shop has become so busy, Nagle is hoping someone in the community might be able to donate a box truck to Used to be Mine.
“It would really help us,” she said.
She added that volunteers willing to help sort donations were also always welcome. Though Diakonia has a devoted group of about 100 volunteers, Nagle says there’s always room for more.
For more information, visit www.diakoniaoc.org or call 410-213-0923.